Heinzen Pavilion, Antigo, WI – 2 P.M.

June 13, 2020

By Larry Hales

I was in Palestine in the spring of 2002, it was about 2 years or so after the beginning of the 2nd intifada I think. Most people that know me know the story, how I was with a group that broke theough the siege of the Church of Nativity to stand with the more than 200 Palestinians trapped inside by the Israeli military.

I wont go into the whole story. But, we actually went to the church of Nativity twice, passing by the same military setup in Manger Square, running toward the door of Humility. The 1st time we didnt get inside. We were detained and were only able to escape because Ted Koppel happened to be there and tried to interview Huwaida, at which point she said, “run,” and we took off running as Israeli troops screamed at us to stop. We got away.

But, the person who detained me tried to enter into a conversation with me. He asked my name. I cant remember what I said to him. I was concentrating on not saying much and was looking around for the comrades in struggled I was with. He said his name was Yuri and that he was a Russian Jew. He had a heavy Russian accent. He then said, “”I don’t agree with what is happening here but it is my job.”

He seemed sincere. How would I know though. Even if he was, it does not exactly mean nothing and I’m not sure what his feelings meant going forward, but at that moment he was actively participating in the oppression of Palestinians. Sure, his entire existence anyway was based off the occupation and continual oppression of Palestinians, but then he was literally holding the lash. He disagreed, but not enough to not do what he was doing.

Think about that. It is not simply about just a person and their personality, whether they are nice, gentle or whatever. Sure, maybe those qualities will make a difference in how they go about their function, however, it is the function that is the issue.

What is the primary role of the military of an imperialist country? What is the primary role of the police, or any state functionary? And, what kind of society is this and how does it continue to exist? How do we get all the things we use? And, how are the lives of the masses of people on the planet and what is our role in it? So, what does that mean for us? Not on an individual level, because you can’t lifestyle your way out of it–that only serves your individual conscience.

It is important to look at function and develop a systemic analysis and not get bogged down in the personal and individual.

When I say F tha police, I’m not, for the most part, thinking about Officer Joe who hands out lollipops to kids and stops to play basketball. What a nice gesture, but, so what, because Officer Joe serves to stand in between those who would want to change a super exploitative and oppressive system and those who would want to maintain it. It aint hard y’all. They aint there for us. They are there to protect those who make their wealth off the misery of billioms of people on the planet.

When I say F tha police I’m daying F the system and F the apparatus that serves to keep the order as it is.

It wont end itself.

This Slave catchers, the first police who served to protect the property relatioms of slave and slave masters, they had friends and family who loved them too. But, they had a function and it is that which is important to take note of.

So, yeah, Yuri may have been nice. He may not have liked his job but he did it. And, his function was not a gentle one, it was to protect an imperialist outpost that everyday attempts to wipe away the existence of Palestinian people. Yeah, he probably had people who loved him too, but so what. It aint about “him.” It’s about the order he protects.

In that sense he can’t ever be a friend of those opposed to that order. His function makes him the enemy, less he should turn his guns and point them in the other direction, even then you’d have to keep a close eye on him. ###

Ruthie Foster

Original video from SOUL! and then shoutfactorytv. All rights and love to Soul! and shoutfactorytv for broadcasting this. Taped in London, November 1971. Original links: (part 1) http://www.shoutfactorytv.com/soul/ja… (part 2) http://www.shoutfactorytv.com/soul/ja…

-Find more audio and video of Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin on this channel. &check out this playlist of other Baldwin videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…

Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, Jr.(born June 7, 1943) is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the “Poet of the Black Revolution.”

James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American novelist and social critic. His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native Son (1955), explore intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th-century America. Some of Baldwin’s essays are book-length, including The Fire Next Time (1963), No Name in the Street (1972), and The Devil Finds Work (1976). An unfinished manuscript, Remember This House, was expanded and adapted for cinema as the Academy Award–nominated documentary film I Am Not Your Negro. Baldwin’s novels and plays fictionalize fundamental personal questions and dilemmas amid complex social and psychological pressures thwarting the equitable integration of not only African Americans, but also gay and bisexual men, while depicting some internalized obstacles to such individuals’ quests for acceptance. Such dynamics are prominent in Baldwin’s second novel, Giovanni’s Room, written in 1956, well before the gay liberation movement.

Soul! or SOUL! (1967–1971 or 1967–1973) was a pioneering performance/variety television program in the late 1960s and early 1970s produced by New York City PBS affiliate, WNET. It showcased African American music, dance and literature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul! more on Soul! here: https://www.thirteen.org/program-cont…

Ellis Haizlip was born on September 17, 1929 (to January 25, 1991). He was a pioneering broadcaster, television host, theater and television producer, and cultural activist. Often host of Soul!

Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Virtual Juneteenth MKE Week #LiberateMKE

Join us next week as we re-launch our campaign, LiberateMKE. We will be informing people on the campaign, highlighting why we need to reprioritize where we spend money and engaging in digital actions to make sure Milwaukee is divesting from violent policing infrastructure and investing in strengthening Black communities.

The line up will also include giveaways from local business owners and we’re working on a great way to close out our Friday evening with you all outside of the Twitter Storm!!! STAY TUNED!!

Tuesday at 12:30pm
LiberateMKE Updates/Demands

Join the African American Roundtable Director, Markasa Tucker, and Lead Organizer Devin Anderson as they present the 2020 LiberateMKE campaign updates and demands.
Register here: bit.ly/3dU9KXx

Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
History of Policing in Milwaukee with Dr. Deborah Blanks

Learn about the history of police in Milwaukee with Dr. Deborah Blanks. Dr. Deborah Blanks is the President of Kairo Communications, and will be providing an analysis of police relations with the community in Milwaukee.
Register here:bit.ly/3cT8P8l

Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Defunding the Police Study Group

Join us as we launch a four week study group focused on what defunding the police looks like and what alternatives to police look like.
Register here: bit.ly/mkestudygroup

Friday 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Social Media Twitterstorm

A Twitterstorm is a sudden flurry of activity about a specific topic on Twitter. We’ll be tweeting about defunding the police and investing those resources into community based solutions. Sample posts are here.

#LiberateMKE #DefundthePolice #DefendBlackLives

More details to come!!!

Updated List of BLM Protests, Vigils and other Relevant Actions: https://docs.google.com/…/1uLk5DYYMqlxZAbO_TAbAxxS9dS…/edit… ***

As always, you can find all of the event pages listed under the “Events” section of the People’s Climate Coalition FB Page. You can (and should!) also follow the Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement for daily updates around the state.